Goodbye, My Pretty
by Rainbow Stevie
Summary: Set end of season 1, just after they beat the Dark Masters, the Digi Destined find themselves falling, one by one, to viruses sent by the Dark Lord. Their only help comes from a mysterious creature named Bastout. A tiny bit of SoraMatt.
1. Default Chapter Title

Original Disclaimer (2000): I don't own Digimon (that's why I'm writing a fan fiction and not the show, gee what a thought). Nor do I own the following songs, listed in order of appearance:  
1. "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac  
2. "One Voice" -Brandy. 

That's all the copyrighting I need to do now, besides thanking my family and friends for listening to me cackle about "my 23-page story" when I wouldn't tell them what it was about.

* * *

Updated 2006 Disclaimer: OK - I finally worked up the courage to look at my **5+-year-old stories **because I'd written this one back in the day before chapters were allowed and story size was limited. The two chapters were formerly separate stories; now they are merged in one proper place as they should be. I've tweaked a bit of the content here and there as well, just where the writing style was glaringly immature. Also, I'm going to have to trust that all the attacks are properly named, because for the life of me I don't remember such trivia anymore. Off you go now!

* * *

Sixteen children and digimon stared in shock at the world around them. Even after theirunbelievable victory in which they had finally defeated the Dark Masters, the world had not been fixed, despite the fact that they could find no other adversaries. The crazy spiraled mountain was gone, but holes were everywhere, showing still-missing pieces. In one area, trees grew horizontally and grass was six feet tall.

"Umm, okay, could somebody pretty please explain to me why the world hasn't been saved yet?" asked Tai sarcastically.

"There's obviously another sinister element lurking within this realm," Izzy pointed out.

"He means there's another bad guy out here," Matt deciphered, noting everyone's quizzical expression.

"I think he needs a 'theezerus' so he can say stuff I understand," TK pouted.

"_Thesaurus_, TK," Matt laughed, ruffling his brother's hair. "And anything we can't understand must not be too important."

"So what's out there, anyway?" Sora asked, looking apprehensively at the surrounding forest.

"Whatever it is, you can bet it's very dangerous so I vote we all go home and forget about it," Joe said firmly. Gomamon snuck up on him and tackled him from behind. "BOO!"

"Ahhh!" he screamed, leaping several feet into the air. "What the heck was that for?" he snarled, turning on his Digimon.

"We can't forget about it. The fate of two worlds depends on us," came the simple reply.

"I guess you're right," he sighed.

"Tai, you're the leader, right? So what are we going to do?" asked Agumon.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. Before he could reply, however, there was a sudden rustle in the bushes. They waited fearfully, then gasped in surprise as a tiny pink puffball tumbled out, looking disheveled and bruised.

"Pixiemon?" gasped Mimi, scooping him into her hands He coughed and sat up weakly. "Very dangerous…you must stand up to Devimon and defeat him, but do not become injured…"

"Devimon?" asked Kari. "But Tai said Angemon destroyed him a long time ago."

"A digimon is never destroyed," Izzy reminded them, glancing up from his computer. 'Only a virus can destroy them, by deleting them - much like a computer program."

"He's right, you know," Tentomon added.

"Indeed," gasped Pixiemon. "Even failing now, I will return again one day." The small fuzzball suddenly wheezed and dissolved.

"What happened?" cried Mimi, looking at her empty hands.

"He was transferred to another area as a single byte," Izzy commented. "It'll be a long time before he's back."

"That's what happened to Wizardmon, isn't it?" Kari asked softly.

"Er, yes," Izzy said quickly. Looking at her sad face, he couldn't bear to tell her that since Wizardmon had been lost in the real world, the same laws that applied to life applied to him.

"I am getting really sick of all these stupid evil digimon!" Matt snapped angrily. "Aren't good guys always supposed to win?"

"We've been lucky so far," Sora pointed out. "We've won most of the battles."

"But not the war," Matt said dully.

"Hey, cheer up," she smiled, patting his hand. "The war isn't over yet."

"If I may be so rude as to interrupt," Gabumon drawled calmly, "may I suggest we get out of the way of _that_ thing?" Immediately following his words, he called "Blue blaster!", spraying water from his mouth at a large flying bird.

"Zanamon!" Palmon said with a touch of alarm. The bird was a big, ugly blue brute that looked like a cross between an oversized blue jay and a pterodactyl with large teeth, claws on its wings, and a spiked tail. His eyes flashed with fire as he prepared to send an icy blast at them.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Gabumon. Gabumon, digivolve to...Garurumon!"

"Howling Blaster!" he roared. A single shot felled the giant bird, and Garurumon shrank back to normal size.

"Great job Gabumon," TK laughed.

"Just a normal day," Gabumon said patiently. "Get up, have breakfast, digivolve, humiliate a couple bad digimon. The usual." Gatomon looked around nervously.

"Maybe we should get into a less open area, where there's fewer bad-tempered digimon," she urged. Agumon agreed with her.

After only a few minutes in the woods, TK was distracted by bunch of pretty flowers that seemed to be calling to him to pick one. "Ooooh, pretty," he said with delight, plucking a white one.

"TK? What is it?" asked Patamon, his large eyes blinking in curiosity.

"I dunno. But it's pretty, see - wanna smell it?" he asked, thrusting the flower up towards Patamon. As he moved it, a piece of paper fell out. Picking it up, he began to read slowly, sounding out the larger words written in deceptively innocent, curling script.

_A pretty white flower? No. You will be the first to fall to the Dark Lord, but not the last. Beware the flower with pink and gold petals. Oh, is this it? Too bad. Things are not always what they seem._

"What d'ya think that means?" asked the little boy, looking slightly frightened.

Gatomon, who had turned around just in time to catch the last words of the note, yelled in alarm, "TK! The flower! Drop it!"

Obeying, he let the flower fall to the ground. Upon contact, the petals melted from white to alternating pink and gold. Instantly, he doubled over in pain. "Owieowieowie!" he sobbed, clutching his side. The others in the group had come running at his screams, and when Matt saw him he felt physically sick. _This is what happens when you don't watch him. Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ Matt cursed himself. TK didn't have the energy to speak. He was dimly, vaguely aware of Matt kneeling in front of him, picking him up, and carrying him, but by then his vision had grown fuzzy and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Biyomon, flying ahead, had discovered a small abandoned cave near a little clearing w/ a stream that was an ideal resting place for the sick child. They had no idea exactly how useful it would prove to be when other members of their party fell later on. Patamon kept up a constant vigil, while the others took turns sitting with TK.

As Sora left her evening watch, she heard a noise that sounded vaguely like someone in pain. Wondering if TK had somehow managed to sleep-walk his way out of bed, Sora went to investigate. She found, not TK, but his older brother.

Matt was huddled on the ground, knees drawn in to his chest.

"Biyomon, go back inside," she hissed.

"Okay," yawned the pink, bird-like digimon. Once Biyomon had left, she called out to him softly. "Matt?" She thought she heard him choke back a sob.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he said gruffly, not trusting his voice.

"Are you all right?" she asked. She didn't see Gabumon anywhere, but Matt's face was tearstained.

"Yes…no, not really," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry about TK," she sad softly.

Matt scowled. "I don't need you getting involved in my personal problems."

Sora gave him a look. "I think you do. Care to tell me why you look so guilty?"

He sighed. "I'm his big brother. I'm supposed to look out for him. But look at me; I was supposed to be watching him when he got this stupid illness, and now I can't do anything about it!"

Tears came back to his eyes as he thought of his little brother, crying in pain. "TK," he sobbed quietly. Forgetting that Matt was the "cool one", ever aloof and independent, Sora wrapped her arm around him, the same way she would anyone who was that upset. Surprisingly, he didn't jerk away, and Sora let him cry out all the pain, anger and grief he'd kept bottled up for so long.

At last, he took a deep breath and managed to calm down. "Thanks Sora."

She laughed gently. "What are friends for? Now come on, let's go back. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

* * *

Kari ran up to meet them as the re-entered the cave. "I'm so glad you're back!" she cried. "Tai's sick too!" 

"What?" theyyelped in unison.

"Look at him," she begged, tugging on Sora's hand. Matt and Sora stopped short. Tai's face was covered in beads of sweat, he clutched is stomach in pain, and for the swelling he could hardly speak.

"I'm sorry Matt," he whispered. "I was going to get TK some more water for that fever - then there was this haze and I couldn't see…" His voice trailed over and he began coughing again. Barely able to mask panic, Matt helped him lie down.

"Not again," he groaned. "What the heck is going on here?" he snapped, hitting the wall.

"Matt, stop," Sora said, glaring at him. "You're beating yourself up again over a crisis that_ isn't your fault."_

He bit his lip. She was right, as usual. He hadn't been this upset since he had failed to stop Myotismon from taking Kari.

"Kari, where are the others?" he asked turning. "They're out back, trying to contact Gennai," she said solemnly. "Sora?" she asked.

"Hm?" she asked, turning.

"Tai'll get better, don't you think? I hate when he's sick."

"Of course he will," Sora said firmly. "TK too. You just have to believe he will."

Just then, Tentomon buzzed in. "Everybody, come quick!" he called. Sora, Kari, Gatomon and Biyomon rushed after him.

Izzy was intently watching the computer screen. Gennai's voice fuzzed in and out. "Digi Destined! The Dark Lord has set a virus on you…" Static crackled some more. Everyone gasped, leaning forward. They could make out only, "defeat him," before the computer shorted out and the screen went black..

"The Dark Lord?" Mimi asked. "Who's that? I thought we were fighting Devimon!"

"Oh great. More battling; of course we don't know against who and Gennai's left us guessing as to how we're supposed to go about this. Justyour typical average day in the life of a superhero," Joe said dejectedly.

"Aw, cheer up Joe!" Gomamon said happily. "At least you've got me on your side - and I've got all the fish in the sea!" he crowed. Joe smiled tightly.

"Ai, ai, ai!" Tentomon shrieked suddenly, slapping at his shell. It hurt at least as much - maybe more - than it had when Izzy had been trying to crack a hieroglyphic code and his shell had become energized. "It burns! It burns!" he screamed. Out of nowhere, small black bumps appeared all over his back. "Ahh…" he sighed in relief. "That's better."

Izzy, frowning, glanced at the bumps. "These appear to be a complex type of malignant computer virus," he stated. "As in, a highly contagious virus," he added, recalling what he had found on his computer before it short-circuited. The other digimon backed away.

"So what, he's gotta be quarantined like a dog?" Matt joked half-heartedly.

"What's a dog?" Palmon asked with confusion.

"No, this probably has to be passed on through extensive skin-to-skin contact. I think it'll only spread to other bug types, but I'm not sure."

Sora snapped her fingers. "That's what happening to Matt and Tai, isn't it? Since in the Digiworld we're just parts in a big computer game, couldn't we contract a virus too?" Realizing what she'd just said, Sora clapped a hand over her mouth, horror taking over as she realized that without help, Tai and TK could very well die.

"That's precisely what I'm afraid of," Izzy stated. "Unfortunately, as long as my computer won't turn on, I can't look for any more information on the virus, so- Tentomon, what are you doing?" he asked as the bug-like digimon rolled over, waving his legs.

"Weeeeee! Look at me! I'm a digi-egg!"

Matt raised his eyebrow. "Sure Tentomon. Whatever you say."

"I think he's flipped," Mimi said.

"It's the virus," Izzy stated. "He doesn't have much control, if any, over his actions right now."

"Sora, what if I get sick?" Biyomon asked. Will you make me better?"

"I'll try," she smiled, patting the bird's feathers.

"Uh, this is very touching, but what are we going to do?" Matt grumbled. "I'm all for staying safe, but I'm not going to sit back and watch my friends get hurt - AHH!" he yelped as a fiery wind shot past them.

"A griffimon!" Izzy said in amazement. "They're very rarely sighted."

"And I wish it had stayed that way too!" Mimi shrieked pathetically. Griffimon looked like a griffin (lion's body, ears and tail and eagle's head, wings and 4 bird-like legs), but also sported a silver horn and armor plated wings.

"Swords slash!" it roared, lowering its head. Blinding light blasted out, narrowly missing Tai.

"I'll get him!" Agumon said determinedly. "Pepper breath!" When the tiny attack had no real effect on griffimon, he instantly gave more. "Agumon, digivolve to…Greymon!" In his haste, however, he didn't notice that some of the light had reflected and hit him as he changed form. "Nova blast!" came the dinosaur's roar. Its work done, Griffimon allowed the fireball shoot him down, and then he quickly flapped off. Suddenly, the effects of the white light kicked in. Greymon roared in pain and shrank back to Agumon. Black bumps appeared on his orange skin. "Tai…it's got me too," he mumbled, slowly blinking his eyes.

"OOOHHH, why can't these big stupid bullies just leave us alone?" wailed Mimi, bursting into tears.

"I hate it when she cries," sighed Joe.

* * *

The Dark Lord grinned wickedly. Though hidden by shadow, his black form bent over a white globe that showed the forlorn children. Neither digimon nor immortal, he was a blend of both, and held alarming powers. His plan was working perfectly. Starting with the enchanted flowers, he had gotten the foolish baby of the group to become the transmitter, and it had spiraled out from there. He would leave only a few strong, to test his powers when he battled them. Then he would destroy them all. Cold, evil laughter filled the air as he crushed the globe and its picture of the children. "Goodbye, my pretty," he growled.

* * *

Days passed by, flying on. With Tai sick, Matt knew he was the leader, but he didn't know what to do. Despite all their power struggles in the past, each needed the other. Gabumon came to sit next to him one of those nights. "This time has been hard, hasn't it?" he commented in his soothing voice. 

"Yeah, I guess," he grumbled. "I just don't get what's happening. I mean, if this 'Dark Lord's' going to destroy us, why doesn't he just hurry up and do it? His battle plan makes no sense."

"Well, then, maybe you'd better become more sensible!" crowed a voice form above.

"Kiwimon?" asked Matt in surprise.

"Oh yes, you may have destroyed the Dark Masters, but not me, a heh heh. Pummel Peck!"

As a stream of tiny birds shot from his mouth, Matt instantly put up a hand to defend himself. One of the creatures struck his bare arm, almost drawing blood. _Ouch, they've got nasty sharp beaks_, he thought.

"Under control!" Gabumon called back. "Blue blaster!" he cried again and again, until every bird, including Kiwimon, was gone.

"Nice work, Gabumon," Matt said.

"There is trouble," he said urgently, perking up his ears. "We've got to get back to camp now!" Trusting Gabumon's intelligence, Matt followed.

* * *

_---minutes earlier---_

_"Oh, what a pretty butterfly," crooned Mimi, reaching out to touch the silken, red spotted wings. It suddenly turned and glared, the eyes huge and red, andflapped into her face. She shrieked and ran off, not noticing the red spots falling off the butterfly's wings and sinking silently under her skin. It lazily flew off in search off the Dark Lord. As Mimi reached the little clearing, she finally stopped, gasping for air._

* * *

"Mimi, where were ya? Matt's got dinner ready if you're hungry," Palmon said, coming to greet her. Mimi blinked, and grew pale. Palmon seemed to double, then triple. She whimpered a little swaying on her feet. Then her vision clicked off, and she fainted. Joe had come out, wondering why Mimi was taking so long. _I guess the princess thinks she can take her sweet time whenever she - _

He arrived just in time to see Mimi falling backwards - head ready to meet a sharp rock. Panicking, he dashed to her side, catching her just in time. "Geeze Mimi, I've had enough premature heart attacks since I got to the Digiworld without you adding to them," he complained. Shaking his head, he shook her gently. She was limp as a doll.

"Uh, guys, a little help?" he called, worried. She had lost one of her gloves somewhere along the way, and her exposed hand was alarminglyblue. Despite the relative warmth of the day,itwas colder than ice. Biyomon was the first to heed Joe's call.

"Oh no, not Mimi too!" she groaned. Kari followed. Gatomon jumped at the sight of Mimi's hand, and then regained her senses. Purring, she jumped on Mimi and curled herself around the hand, lending her warmth.

"Gatomon, you look just like Meeko!" grinned Kari. "I didn't know you could purr." Mimi's eyes fluttered open.

"Joe? Oh, what happened?" she cried, pulling herself up quickly. Dazed, she glanced around.

"I think you've got the virus too," Joe said, a little sadly.

"Oh no, I can't be sick! My hair becomes a mess and my skin gets all yucky looking!" she wailed. Joe rolled his eyes but said gently, "Come on, I'll help you in." Weaker than she imagined, Mimi pulled her self up and, leaning heavily on her friend, dragged herself inside. By the time she was back on the ground, Mimi was too tired to stay awake any longer and she fell asleep again.

Matt had been sitting next to TK, but when he saw Mimi coming in he got a pretty good idea of what was going on and he couldn't deal with it right then. Silently, he left through the back opening.

Izzy and Kari were the next to fall. Izzy woke up the next morning, unable to sleep. Trying to clear his lungs, he was horrified to find he was coughing up blood. Before long he was struggling to breathe. He would be unable to help his friends find out anymore about the mysteriousdiseases now.

The Dark Lord smiled. He had carefully modifiedthe virus for each child. For Izzy, the supplier of information, he had cut all forms of communication - first by blacking out the computer screen, and now by rendering him speechless.

Mimi's childish vanity was crushed, TK's illness would keep Matt from starting anything, and by knocking out the leader he had cracked their strength. He smiled. His plans never failed.

Kari woke with a fever so ferocious she felt almost detached from her body. "Mommy!" she would cry in her sleep, tossing and turning. During these times, Sora would take Kari on her lap, rocking the little girl back to sleep again and again. Surprisingly, of the digimon, only Agumon and Tentomon had become ill, a fact which puzzled humans and digimon alike. In reality, the Dark lord was simply saving them as test subjects to see how his power, dormant for so long, would measure up.

* * *

Matt, Joe, and Sora had been running themselves ragged trying to care for their friends, even with the help of their digimon. They were beginning to look sick too, but at least their friends weren't getting any worse - except TK. His breathing was shallow; he rarely woke and ate very little. His weight, already low, was rapidly dropping. _I am so going to pulverize this "Dark Lord" creep when I find him_, Matt thought angrily, looking at his brother. The wind tore by, echoing his thoughts. 

After a particularly exhausting day, Sora and Matt sat outside, talking. Gabumon was quietly snoring nearby, while Biyomon roosted in a nearby tree. Sora hung her head in despair. "What are we going to do? Our friends are sick. DYING for all we know. Two of the digimon are sick too - and we can't stop any of it. Maybe we really don't make a difference."

"Maybe?" he replied. "I think our actions speak for themselves. There area million paths our lives could take, Sora, and each one affects another choice and another person. There is no right road, only the one we make."

Here he stopped, and glanced down. Sora was nestled against his side, sleeping peacefully. Her short hair, no longer bound by the helmet, had fallen over her forehead. Matt wished he could become so serene, oblivious to the world around him. "Even my dreams are filled with Dark Lord," he said aloud, to no one in particular. A glow at the edge of the forest caught his attention. Gently, he laid Sora down. Glancing at Gabumon, he decided not to disturb him. Matt ventured forward alone.

As he grew nearer, the white shape was defined, into an image of a woman with a cat's head, paws, and tail. _Whoa, talk about history coming to life_, he thought. _That's almost a dead ringer for Bastet, the Egyptian goddess…what was her element? Love, I think…_

"Yes," said the form, as though reading his thoughts. "I look much like her, don't I? I am Bastout, protector of all that is good. Like the Dark Lord, I am neither digimon nor from your world."

"Whoa, time out," he said, confused. "The Dark Lord isn't a digimon? And what about Devimon?"

"No," she said coolly. 'He is a blend of Digimon and immortal, making him more powerful than any you have encountered before, including Myotismon. The Dark Lord is truly an alteration of Devimon."

"So, you just came to chat, or you have something important to say?" Matt asked, growing impatient.

"A message for you, and the other destined I bring," she said calmly. "The Dark Lord will confront you in four days time. Make no mistake - he will come with every intent of destroying you all, but with the proper precautions you have a chance."

"How do you know all this? You watch a magic crystal ball or what?" Matt snorted. His common sense told him not to stand there insulting what, for all he knew, might actually BE this Dark Lord, or at the very least not to drive off the only form of help they'd been offered...but he was tired, his nerves stretched to the breaking point, and common sense wasn't so high on his list of priorities. Bastout didn't seem to be taking offense, at least, as she continued.

"Higher than the Dark Lord can imagine, I am above him, and can watch what he does. In times of great need, I can descend to help the forces of good. I will help you...if the need is great enough, I can come again. Prepare yourselves, and do not be afraid." She folded her hands above her head, let the light envelope her, and then disappeared in the flash of blinding white.

Matt stood still for a moment, reflecting. Glancing at the moon, he noticed black clouds enclosing it in darkness. A superstitious person might see it as a bad omen, but Matt was determined - he had to fight for his friends Turning back, he began to form the outline of a plan in his head while the night grew darker and rain began to fall…

* * *

"What?" cried all eight of the digi destined children. Matt had decided to let everyone in on the plan, even those too ill to fight. He explained his plan again in detail. Forcing his lungs to clear, Izzy hacked, "If you can destroy him, we'll be saved. If you fail…" 

"We're done for," finished Gatomon. Kari whimpered from Sora's lap.

"Well, that isn't going to happen because we aren't going to fail. Right guys?"

"Right!" Heads bent together as the groupeagerly continued the discussion.

But just as Bastout could watch the Dark Lord, the Dark Lord could watch the Destined - and he saw them now. 'Cursed Destined children," he hissed. "Take away all contact from everyone, and still they find me. Well, they won't have the upper edge for long!" He snapped his fingers. "Dark Army, come forth!"

A horde of monsters appeared, seemingly from nowhere. "There has been a change of plans," he said coldly. "We will be there at dawn."

Bastout, of course, was watching him as he said this. She tried to summon the strength to cross over from her world into the Digiworld again, but could not find the power. She sank back in defeat. "Destined," she moaned. At last, she channeled her energy into waking Matt. The attack would not be a total surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt woke with a start. The night was still dark, but the sun was beginning to color the sky ever so faintly. Unable to fall back asleep, he got up to check on his brother - and gasped in horror. TK waswrithing in pain, choking, gasping for breath. "TK!" he cried. He started towards him, intent on clearing his airway. Unfortunately, at the same time, a break in the clouds became apparent, and the Dark Lord descended. 

For the first time, his entire form was visible. The basic shape was human, but it was black, black all over, the eyes melting into shadow. Black wings, sectioned like a dragon's, protruded from his back, and a cape darker than Satan himself encircled whatever body he had. He looked for all the world like Devimon, but the sinister force about him commanded more fear and presence than Devimon could ever hope to achieve. With a cold, cruel laugh he landed.

"My flower has done it's work, I see. Well, it's almost finished. That one's in his death throes," he said calmly.

Taking a sharp breath, Matt whirled. "You," he growled. Any rationalthoughts he might have had for handling the situation were erased as he stared at the monster who had done this to his brother.

"You sick _bastard_," he erupted, with uncontrollable fury. "TK's just a little kid! How can you do this to a child?" Matt's eyes flashed, and he shook with anger.

The Dark Lord chuckled. "Oh, I'm wounded. Is your big howling doggie going to come get me?" Then his eyes narrowed. "I care not about age. I will destroy all of the Digi Destined."

"No," Matt said quietly, his voice suddenly low and glittering with danger, "you won't. Let him have it!" he called suddenly, hoping the others were nearby. They were.

"Spiral twister!" "Poison Ivy!" "Boom bubble!" "Lightning Claw!" "Come outta da sea, marching fishes!" called Biyomon, Palmon, Patamon, Gatomon, and Gomamon. Their attacks had no effect on him.

"How annoying. Must I really bother with fighting you?" yawned the Dark Lord. Calmly, he flicked all the little digimon away. They crashed to the ground, stunned.

"Somebody called?" asked Gabumon, coming to Matt's side. Matt nodded to him.

"Gabumon, warp-digivolve to...Metalgarurumon!"

"Ah, an almost worthy opponent. Very well." The Dark Lord closed his fist, then opened it again. "Dark Thunderclap!" A wave of inky blackness surrounded the mega digimon.

"Metal...wolfclaw," he gasped, and then fell on his side.

"No!" cried Matt.

As Matt lay between TK and his fallen digimon, Bastout quickly calculated which digimon would work best with Gomamon's digivolved form. She let Sora rest, and revived Mimi. With the extra power surge, Gomamon and Palmon picked themselves up and began to digivolve.

"Palmon, digivolve to...Togemon!"

"Gomamon, digivolve to...Ikkakumon!"

"Would you care for a needle spray?"

"Harpoon torpedo!"

The Dark Lord rolled his eyes. He flicked the needles backward, stabbing Togemon. Then, he grabbed the torpedo and hurled it back, catching Ikkakumon in the side. "No!" Mimi cried, clenching her fist. "Togemon!" she wailed. The last time Togemon had been badly hurt, she'd just barely been able to digivolve, and had beaten Darktyrannomon. "You can do it," she whispered. Her crest glowed, and suddenly… "Togemon, digivolve to...Lillymon!"

"Ikkakumon!" cried Joe, running to his friend.

"I need help Joe," begged the giant furry walrus-like animal, his wavering blue eyes pleading. "I can't do it alone."

"Then go!" Joe yelled decisively, squeezing the digivice. It was all Ikkakumon needed. "Ikkakumon, digivolve to...Zudomon!"

"Vulcan's hammer!" roared Zudomon. It struck the Dark Lord a glancing blow. Distracted, he turned, only to hear "Flower Cannon!"

Unprepared, the shot hit him full force from behind. "Bothersome flower child!" he screamed. "Dark Thunderclap!"

Lithe and agile though she was, Lillymon could not escape the dark mass that surrounded her, drained every last ounce of energy, and sent her tumbling back towards earth as Tanemon. Crying, Mimi barely caught her in time.

Again, the hammer struck. Enraged, the Dark Lord grabbed the large digimon around the throat, picked him up, and choked the fight out of him. Satisfied, the Dark Lord let him drop back as tiny Bukamon. Bastout watched in horror from her place above.

"I_ must_ send the angels," she whispered. "Even without me, perhaps their combined power will be enough." Again, she willed energy to her paws, and flung what she found into Kari and TK's digivices.

Patamon listened fearfully to the battle outside. He cringed fearfully every time he heard screams, followed by that awful laugh. _If only I could digivolve_, he thought, sitting by TK's side. _If only…_ There was a sudden, peculiar feeling. His head shot up and he watched TK's crest glowing. For one brief moment, the boy's opened. "Go on out there, Patamon," he coughed, trying to smile. "Matt needs your help."

Looking at Gatomon, his eyes met hers. She nodded. "I'll be back, TK," Patamon said firmly. "That's a promise."

"Let's go," Gatomon growled, teeth flashing. "The Dark Lord's going to be sorry he ever tangled with me!"

"Patamon, digivolve to...Angemon!"

"Gatomon, digivolve to...Angewomon!"

"It's time," Angemon said in his powerful voice.

"Let's go!" declared Angewomon. Spreading their wings, the angels burst from the cave. "Be careful, Angewomon," Kari called after her miserably.

The little digimon could do no more than dash for cover. Neither they nor the children had any strength left to go on. Matt was exhausted - he could only hope that Angemon and Angewomon would win, as they had before. He thought back to Sora's words: "We've won lots of battles!" He had responded with, "But not the war." _Well, now the war's ending_, he thought. _And the good guys hadbetter win. _

"Hand Of Faith!" called Angemon. The orange ball of light shot towards the Dark Lord. Laughing, he absorbed it into his dark mass. "Is that the best you can do, _angels_?" he called. "Frankly, I expected more. Dark Thunderclap!"

_Geeze, is that all he knows?_ wondered Matt.

Angewomon knocked the darkness back with her bow. "Celestial Arrow!" she called, drawing the white shape back. It flew straight and true, but the Dark Lord knocked it backwards. As Joe watched, it destroyed the cave, which he had luckily decided to empty a few minutes before. _That was close_, he thought.

Tai opened his eyes. "Whaaa?" he asked, groggy. Sora smiled tightly.

"Final showdown with the Dark Lord -and he's beating us up pretty badly. I suggest you go back to sleep.

"Fine," he yawned, too disoriented toreally grasp thethe meaning of her words.

Angemon and Angewomon continued their attacks against the Dark Lord. He absorbed or knocked away everyone, while the Dark Thunderclap was stopped again and again. Each were equally powerful. But the Dark Lord had another trick up his sleeve.

"Dark Army," he commanded. "Attack them!"

A horde of monsters materialized, among them Griffimon and Zanamon. "Horn lightning!" called one that looked like Seadramon. It shot at Angemon, paralyzing him. He began to fall. Angewomon barely caught him in time. No sooner had she done so when the digimon struck again, hitting her. She arched, rigid with pain, and then collapsed, striking the ground by Kari's side.

"Angewomon!" cried the little girl, brown eyes spilling over with tears. She lifted the angel's head.

"I'm sorry Kari…"she breathed. "We can't hold him off." With that, she reverted to Salamon.

_The Dark Lord's going to win,_, Matt thought bitterly as he watched the angels fall. _He's defeated our strongest forces. There's nothing left. _

_This can't be how it ends_, thought Sora. _I - we - have our whole lives ahead of us!_

_Oh man. I'm gonna die and I never even got to calculus_, Joe thought, hanging his head.

_If I just hadn't picked up that stupid flower_, TK thought feverishly. _This wouldn't have started. It's all my fault. Matt! Where are you?_

Bastout heard their unspoken pleas. She saw the might of the Dark lord, and the wrath he would inflict if not stopped. She felt their helplessness, their sorrow, and their pain. And she could no longer watch. She had to help.

"Gates of Light, open!" she commanded, using her sheer willpower to open the rift between her dimension and the Digiworld. It didn't stir. "OPEN!' she called louder, flexing her claws in frustration. "The Digi Destined need me!" She shook from the effort, eyes closed, every muscle taut.

And the rift cracked, and a sliver of light appeared. "Yes," she breathed. "Open, move, break, _let me go_!" she chanted, over and over again, watching the crack widen just a little more each time until…it broke! and she saw the horrible scene below.

The Dark Lord, preparing for the final blow. The weakened, ragged digimon. The complete panic written on the face of every child. A look of determination formed on her face, and she dove headfirst through the barrier.

"NO! Leave them alone!" she screeched, backhanding the Dark Lord.

"Who are you?" he growled, hatred crossing his face. "How many more of you must I destroy before victory is mine?" he hissed. He flung his arm out, the blackness racing to consume her. Bastout solemnly grabbed it, rendering him immobile.

"I am Bastout," she said simply. "I am not digimon at all, but a higher power than yourself. Stop this madness now, or I will destroy you."

"You don't scare me," he growled, yanking his arm back from Bastout. "I will not be stopped by the likes of a mere cat. I will destroy you as easily as Angewomon. Manifestation Of Darkness!" he roared. The swirling cloud of blackness swarmed toward Bastout. She merely moved her paws in a circle, creating a dome shield of light around her. The Dark Lord's attack hit it and bounced off, disintegrating.

"Is she...an angel like you, Salamon?" asked Kari, confused.

"Sort of," replied the little digimon. "But she's more like a real angel, and I go back to being a digimon when my energy runs out."

"Oh," Kari blinked.

"She's amazing..." breathed Sora. "Could she really win?"

Matt could only stare_. She really did it_, he thought, a smile breaking through his stony face. _She said she could come in times of great need - and here she is. Nothing bad can happen now!_

"Dark Lord," she said, her voice commanding authority. "These children have done you no wrong. You have no cause to go against them."

"They stand for good, and oppose my forces," he snapped. "They must be destroyed."

She only looked at him. "It is your loss. But before you are destroyed, I will let you watch as I unravel your plan." He waited, uncertain, as she tilted her head back, calling rays of light from above. "Be healed, my children," she cooed, gently blowing the light over the sick. Mimi, Izzy, Tai, Kari, Tentomon, and Agumon sat up - fully revived.

Izzy felt his lungs clear. "I can speak!" he laughed with delight.

"Ohhh!" Mimi whispered in shock as the red dots left her head, to be replaced with the white rays. Joe smiled a little as he watched her color return. He was too shy to say anything, but he really did care about her.

The fever left Tai, and as he got up he watched Kari touch her forehead, marveling at its cool surface. "Kari! You're okay!" He yelled happily, hugging her. Matt waited, staring intently at TK.

TK suddenly felt his vision clear. He wasn't dizzy anymore or tired. TK had been brought from the brink of death to perfect health with a single ray of heavenly light. He jumped up. "Matt?"

Matt felt a lump rise in his throat. Trying to keep his misty eyes from spilling over, he hugged TK, unable to speak. Suddenly, blinking was no longer enough. A single tear ran from each eye, tracking down his cheek as he thought of how close he'd come to losing the most important person in his life. Gabumon waited patiently, smiling to himself. "What're ya crying for?" TK asked with a laugh. "I'm okay now!"

"You're sickening me," the Dark Lord spat in disgust.

"You're right, I am!" Bastout cried. The throbbing ball of illness pulsed in her hand. Instantly, she pulled her shield down to cover the ball, and hurled it at the Dark Lord.

"NO!" he screamed as the virus began to consume him. As he disintegrated, dissolving, his face contorted in rage. "If I'm to be destroyed, I won't go alone! I have worked too hard to watch this crumble. _That _wretched child I shall take with me, the one not even Myotismon could destroy, I shall. Dark Thunderclap!"

It happened too fast for anyone, even Bastout, to react - except one. Tai was too far away; the others didn't realize the danger. Only one could. And he would.

He made up his mind even as he tossed his computer to the ground, let it crash and break, knowing he was making the ultimate sacrifice. A line from _A Tale Of Two Cities_ floated through his mind…

_

"'Tis a far, far better thing than I have ever done...  
'tis a far, far, better rest that I go to..." 

_

"Kari, get down!" Izzy screamed, leaping in front of her, taking the hit full blast. As the Dark Lord disappeared, he was violently shaken in mid-air. And when the Dark Lord had disappeared, Izzy lay lifeless on the ground.

He never got the chance to say goodbye.

There were several seconds of shocked silence, until Mimi broke it with a loud wail. Sora rushed out to comfort her. Matt hung back, in a state of shocked disbelief. He turned to Bastout. "Can't you do something about this?" he pleaded.

Bastout's black rimmed eyes were downcast. "I am sorry," she said sadly. "Even I cannot give life to the dead." She began ascending. "I must go now…I can not remain in this world for long. The rift is closing. Farewell."

Snapped from his still-dazed trance by Gabumon tugging on his hand, he rejoined the group who lay near their fallen. Tai looked ready to cry. _Izzy let himself be destroyed to save my sister_, he thought, grateful and yet filled with woe. Sora looked up as he knelt down, her eyes red and teary. Silently, he took her hand.

Kari had begun to sob quietly. "He's dead because of me," she sniffled sadly. "Just like Wizardmon. And it was because of me that Myotismon nearly destroyed our city. How many more? I wish the Dark Lord had gotten me." Her voice was shockingly solemn for a child her age.

"Don't say that!" Tai said harshly.

"It wasn't your fault, Kari," Mimi spoke up. "Izzy would have done that for anybody. It was his choice. Not yours. He made it. It was the bravest thing anyone could have done." At last her voice cracked, and she broke down again. _

Don't cry...  
For your tears will do no good  
So dry your eyes...  


_

* * *

It had been nearly a week. After the Dark Lord had been destroyed, the Digiworld had slowly returned to normal. But inside each Digi Destined's heart, the holes remained. Each felt as if they were missing a piece of their very soul. Tentomon was the hardest hit. He was completely alone, even with the care of the others. 

Tai woke up early on one of those mornings. He found Matt by the lake, quietly playing his harmonica. Whoa, haven't heard that in a while, he thought with surprise. "Hey Matt." Matt jumped startled. "Oh, hi Tai."

"I've been thinking. Since the Digiworld's obviously patched up now, I bet we get sent home pretty soon. But what are we going to tell Izzy's parents?"

"The truth, I guess." Matt said dully.

Tai snorted. "Right. Yeah, um, see, your son was destroyed by this evil half-digimon thing..."

"Stop it Tai, it isn't funny. Don't joke about stuff like that." Matt snapped.

"Sorry," Tai sighed.

Both boys noticed the others getting up. Before anyone else could come out and bug him, Matt went to the edge of a newly restored lake and stared at the water. Yes, they had won the war? But at what price? He realized now why Mimi had refused to fight before, especially against the Dark masters. Biting his lip, he stared at the water, watching ripples form, like rings spreading through time.

_All of us have matured since we got here, especially TK,_ he thought. He turned suddenly, and found Sora standing next to him.

"You're thinking about Izzy, and whether it was worth a win, since we lost him, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

"I guess," he said, refusing to let his feelings out. He'd done enough of that in the last few weeks to last a lifetime.

"Fine," Sora said, not unkindly ,with a shrug. "But if you ever want to talk, I'm here." He started to walk with her, then stopped and turned back. Pulling the harmonica from his pocket, he took a deep breath and hurled it into the middle of the lake. He couldn't explain it, but it was the right thing to do.

TK called to him. "Just a minute," he yelled back. He glanced up as a brilliantly orange ball began to rise in the sky. _

In a forest of winter, fire and rain  
The destined wait in times of pain  


_

Where had he heard that? Matt couldn't remember when he had learned it, only that he had always thought it described him and the other Digi Destined.

"But not now," he said aloud. "You were right, Sora," he muttered. "We've won the war."

In the distance, a bird trilled and wind danced softly. Nature knew how to start over. Matt hoped he did too. _

I've seen the fires, of deep division  
The hearts of stone, the cold ambition  
But I have found, my sacred mission  
To live in this world, and still believe...  
That there is  
One sky above...  


_

* * *

2000: "I apologize if you hate songfics. Most of them were just such poetic lines that I had to stick them in - that, and listening to them gave me several ideas for the story. This was my 2nd fan fic ever...first attempt at Digimon stuff. So, I command thee, go forth and review! Thank you!"

2006: Yeah...whatI said before. Nothing new to add, really, justreminding youhow much younger I was when I actuallywrote this, despite what the publishing date says.


End file.
